sara-did-not-find-a-cool-name

[sara-did-not-find-a-cool-name]

Introduction to the subject of my exam !

Hi ! 

Before going further into the analysis of Stevie’s songs, I would like to introduce my subject and what I will study for the final exam. As you probably noticed, I will work on the singer Stevie Howie and its productions. 

He did not release a lot of songs but there are enough to be studied and I will focus on six of them : Shakes (2021), Stalker (2022), Regrets (2022), Nameless (2023), Lovely liar (2023) and Nameless (her version) (2024). I will be able to study their lyrics but also some video clip (available for some of them) and his Instagram could be very interesting to talk about, but I have to take a closer look at it. Their common themes are sexuality and relationship, but what is interesting is that they all show the impact of the described situations on the concerned persons. So, I will ask myself : how does Stevie Howie, through his songs and thanks to the themes of sexuality and relationship, represent the impact of the described situations on the concerned ones ?

I think that it will demonstrate the true intentions and messages the writer wants to deliver. You could ask : why this singer and those theme while a bunch of other singers does the same ? Well, what I find different about this singer is that he seems to express anger but also a well-thought speech that had been long considered and, more than pure anger, he seems to confront people to what they did and his point of view on these situations. Also, he uses pop-rock, a genre that I love instead of the usual pop music we can listen to. Moreover, even if he has a great audience (356K listening on Spotify, 228K on Instagram) : he responds to messages on social media for example and his concerts are still ‘small ones’. So, he has a certain proximity with his fans that I appreciate no matter his popularity !

Thanks for reading, see you next week :)

[sara-did-not-find-a-cool-name]

Nameless - last analysis

Helloooo, 

New week, new post, and last post about the video clip of Nameless, by Stevie Howie ! With his girlfriend, he released her version of the song a few days ago, we will have the possibility, in the next post to look at her verse and the cover of the song.

We already talked about a few scenes of the video clip like the ones on the bathroom, the kitchen… and now we will talk about the ‘chair scene’. This is a scene where, like before, man and woman switch their positions : one on the chair, one behind the chair. We can observe that when the man is on the chair, the woman behind him seems to be wanting to choke him, we feel the violence in her movements and her hand is around his neck as if she wanted to kill him. Whereas, when it’s Sydney on the chair and Stevie behind, the movement are way more sensual with hands that go all along her body. It’s relevant in this case because we see the relationship between a victim and a representative of the male gender and between a man and a woman. The two are very different : while the woman is angry and want revenge, the other one seems to want a sensual, sexual relatioship with the other gender. 

The next scene is a mirror scene. Stevie is looking at the camera while his reflection is in the mirror. Like before, the positions switch : sometime, there is only Sydney or Stevie and their reflections, but it can also be Sydney and the reflection of Stevie in the mirror and the contrary. It clearly says, once again, that he is talking for her. And, you have another clue of that, when Sydney is the reflection of Stevie, she looks at him as she agrees with what he says. We can see Sydney blocked into this mirror, like in her real body, unable to talk to the ‘real world’ and unable to come back to reality, maybe because of the thoughness you go through once you live as a victim of a rape. Then it’s her turn to look at the camera, accusing. 

What is interesting is that for the reflection of Stevie, if we consider the mirror as his inner-thoughts, we see that he is way more agressive, restless, showing to the audience what he really think of the situation. He looks bitter, ready to fight, violent, but his real self have to remain calm.

After those two observations, we see an evolution in Sydney’s behaviour : she stops looking at the camera as she is not able to confront her rapist anymore, as she is was dead inside (inside because she is in the mirror). But, we also have this expression in french ‘affronter son reflet’, which seems to become impossible for her.

At the end of this scene, even Stevie looks like unable to help her, devastated.

Then, the audience looks at a scene on a parking. I like that they introduced a parking scene because all the other scene takes another dimension. In the human spirit, rapes are mostly made in public spaces like parkings, and I think that this is why they chose it. However, in reality, they mostly happen in a private sphere hence the scenes that took place into the house. 

While you are dazzled by the lights of a car, like a revelation, to clear the crime up, you can look at Sydney, hands on the head, lost and unable to stand on her own, at the end of the road. But, you can also look at a man, fetter to a chair, blindfolded. I don’t think that this man is first a representation of a rapist but also of society. Society, until very recently, treated sexual assault as taboo and folded its eyes on the subject and I think that it is what Stevie tries to show through the directing of the video clip. The woman, who is subject to the same directing, is more affected by society’s morals causing women to turn a blind eye to on the subject, thus expressing the fact that women are forced to use denial, because of the difficulty of facing sexual assault.

During this analysis, I talked about violence and the facial expressions of Sydney. If you look closely the whole video clip, you will observe two things : Sydney never made any facial expressions like she was dead, and you can feel that the agressiveness is raising all along thanks to faster shots. 

What I find very important in this video clip is that they do not let the audience alone, underlining the fact that this is very hard for a victim to deal with. Few words are expressed on the matter :

“You are not alone

It was not your fault

I believe you”

Those words are very powerful in the context of sexual assault nowadays for victims. Instead of questioning wether or not the victim has been raped, like a lot of people do, they just encourage the victims through their journey. It shows how society make them silent, that the shame is on the wrong side. It is a tribute for them.

Finally, we are at the end of this -very long- analysis which was so interesting for me. I was used to listen to this song whitout putting words into all those details but I think I did the right thing when I see all this work !

Thanks for reading. Have great holidays !

[sara-did-not-find-a-cool-name]

Part 2 : Nameless’ video clip

Hi everyone !

Today, I will continue last week’s analysis on Nameless’ video clip made by Stevie Howie and his girlfriend who have been victim of rape. 

I already introduced the bathtub scene despite the looks of the bathtub (clean or not) and what it could mean, I think it is very important to talk about their attitude. In fact, the way they act and look at the camera is very stricking : we can see the parallel between Stevie, who is handing his hand towards the camera like a psychopath ready to kill rapists and Sydney, who does not move, but her look at the camera is so powerful that it gives the impression of breaking into your soul. Her look is inanimated, as she was dead from the inside. Moreover, she seems to have difficulties when her head is under the water and, because her head goes more and more deeply into, which seems difficult for her to keep her her above the water or move at all. Which we can  contrast with Stevie who is able to move his head and body. It could be a depiction of what can happen to a victim during a rape : being paralyzed due to the shock.

Later in the video clip, we are back in the kitchen, with the same staging as before and a detail drawed my attention. There is a knife close to the plate, as usual you would say. But what is significant about that is the position of the blade : the cutting edge is facing outside for Stevie while it is facing inside for Sydney. I think it shows which gender is most likely to sexually assault someone, for example, numbers shows that 92,1%* of rapes are committed by men according to the USSC. We can add to that argument the way the whipped cream is presented on each of their faces.The way the whipped cream is put on Stevie’s face is way better than the way it is displayed on Sydney’s face. For me, it is a reflection of the shame : it is put on the victim instead of rapists who don’t really have to bear in mind what they did. However, I feel that the way both of their whipped cream (with cherries on top) are eaten is very stricking : because yes, even if men are more likely to be rapists, it is important to remember that 9%* of men state that they had been a victim in their lifetime. Yet, the way the whipped cream is put on Syndey’s face is very irrespectful and the way that the syrup is also added irrespectfully “thanks” to the tube which is nearly empty and that gives the image of an ejaculation to the audience. We can see that Stevie also have syrup on his head but on the contrary, this does not bring any sexual connotation. The result is obvious on Sydney : she seems to have difficulties to breath at that moment.

I will have a few more things to add to this analysis, but that will be for a next time !

Thank you for reading it :)

* https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/research-and-publications/quick-facts/Sexual_Abuse_FY18.pdf

*https://nownyc.org/issues/get-the-facts-take-rape-seriously/

[sara-did-not-find-a-cool-name]

TW : SEXUAL VIOLENCE, please, if you are sensible to the subject, read carefully what follows <3

Hi everyone !

Last week, we studied the lyrics of Nameless, by Stevie Howie. Today, and as promised, we will look at the video clip. Next time, it could be interesting to look at the audience through comments on social media. 

This video clip is based on six scenes that are repeated several times with a switch between the singer, Stevie Howie, and her girlfriend, thanks to whom as we already know the song exists - unfortunately - because she is the victim he talks about. 

At the begining of the video clip, we see the couple ‘sitting down to dinner’ in a particular way : they put their heads in the plate, as if they were going to be the dinner, the victim. I think that the switches between the men and the woman and the parallel - same scene but different person- are used to show that Stevie is talking for Sydney -the rape’s victims-, as we saw in the previous post.

Then, we are put into the intimacy of a shower scene where the woman is still dressed up unlike the man who is naked. What is striking about in this scene is the red light on Sydney’s face who clearly seems lost, doubtful and scared. The red light makes us doubtlessly think about danger, blood and thus further points out Sydney as the victim.

Moreover, they made a bathtub scene. It is even more intimate because the actors are in a dark blue water. For the men, the bathtub is clean whereas for the woman, it is not. We can see water spots on the walls like blood spots on a crime scene, one more time, it designates Sydney as the victim. We can take into account the vitcim’s feelings of being dirty after a rape : it could be why they choose to make two of the six scenes, one in a shower and another in a bathtub, to show the reality of rape’s consequences on someone. 

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to share all my research this week because it was such a busy one, but I guess it happens sometimes ! :(

I’m excited to share the rest with you as soon as possible and wish you luck with the incoming exams !

Sara

[sara-did-not-find-a-cool-name]

Discovery of my futur subject ?

TW : SEXUAL VIOLENCE, please, if you are sensible to the subject, read carefully what follows <3

Hi everyone !

Today I will begin to work on an artist that I like a lot who must be the subject of our final exam ! 

He lives in Los Angeles, surely is in his late twenties but we don’t really care about that… The topics and how he covers them in his pop/rock songs are very interesting for me, adding to that he writes, produces and sings them. I learned about him through social media thanks to the covers of famous songs he was doing and I discovered his own titles at their reveals.

His name is Stevie Howie.

I think he has a very recognisable deep voice that suits so well to what he does. His songs mostly talk about relationships, and more specifically about toxic ex-partners. I will introduce one of them, maybe the hardest one : Nameless. Nameless has a particularity I find very important nowadays. In fact, he addresses this song to the rapist of his girlfriend. Usually in feminist movements like #metoo men are pretty invisible : either because they are absents or because only few of them act in favor of women. But he takes a strong position through this song. 

Here the link to Nameless : https://youtu.be/jiAO22jLw-4?si=J9GlgrXnlyZpLKh3. You will be able to find the lyrics at the end of the post. 

I will present you a few key points I found while working on the lyrics of the song. I will keep the study of the video clip and the music for next time. 

At first, Stevie Howie makes three statements :

- one against the rapist,

- one about rape,

- one as a protector (of what ? Whom ? We will see it).

In the first statement, we can talk about the fact he addresses his song directly to the rapist of his girlfriend, but also to all the other ones by using ‘you’, comparing them to a devil by saying ‘fuck you up for good’ but also by the slant rhymes. I’m not sure about my interpretation, but I would say that the song is like a poem but by looking at the slant characteristics, you can say that it’s more like an argument against the rapist(s) or the thoughts of the people impacted by a rape (here it is the point of view of the boyfriend of the victim but the song look like even a victim could say it). At the same time, I can’t talk about the song without mentioning the death wishes he expressed. You can find a gradation of them as the angryness is raising :

‘I'd pray to God that you would choke

If I had one

I'd put a noose around your throat

If I had one

Now, I'd put this bullet through your skull 

[…]

I’d love to torture you to death’.

Even by saying in parentheses what he should not say out loud :

 ‘(If I only could)

Put poison thoughts inside your head

(Fuck you up for good)

I'd love to torture you to death

(And you know I would)’

The second statement, about rape, contains the definition of what a rape is : ‘You took her choice away’. Here defining a rape by the absence of consent of the victim. He also make a statement about the lack of justice regarding the case of rape. He mentions that he has to do justice himself and we will talk about it in the third point. He also tells the truth about the consequences of this crime on the victims : the feeling of being ‘a prey’, the fact that it’s something that never leaves their mind but also the fear of the unknown number of rapists in liberty : ‘how many men like you remain nameless ?’. 

The third statement is the one of a protector. But the protector of what ? Whom ? First, we can talk about a protector of woman by speaking directly to the rapists, threatening them, but also by sacrificing himself and making a ‘confession’ about his want to kill them. Moreover, he is also a protector of justice by wanting to do it himself but most importantly by denouncing the crime.

In fact, he puts shame on the rapists and not on the victims that he defends with this song.

Thank you for reading my post ! (The point of view of his girlfriend will be released this month 👀)

Lyrics :

I'd pray to God that you would choke If I had one I'd put a noose around your throat If I had one Now, I'd put this bullet through your skull If I had one No, I don't have proof, but I would kill you If I had some I'd go right back to when we met (If I only could) Put poison thoughts inside your head (Fuck you up for good) I'd love to torture you to death (And you know I would) To make sure the cancer doesn't spread You've got my confession You can write this down You ain't got no business So shut your mouth Now if they find you face down in a ditch I hope they don't hear this You took her choice away Like she was your prey And I bet she's not the only one If you think it's in the past And you're over that I would only ask What would happen if I said your name? (What would happen if I said your name?) What would happen if I said your name? (What would happen if I said your name?) What would happen if I said your name? I'd put a scar in you for life If I had the chance I'd make it hurt but keep you alive And I bet I can I'd make you feel the way she did With the worst parts enhanced And then you'll be the victim of a man You've got my confession You can write this down You ain't got no business So shut your mouth Now if they find you face down in a ditch I hope they don't hear this You took her choice away Like she was your prey And I bet she's not the only one If you think it's in the past And you're over that I would only ask What would happen if I said your name? (What would happen if I said your name?) What would happen if I said your name? (What would happen if I said your name?) What would happen if I said your name? How many men like you remain nameless

[sara-did-not-find-a-cool-name]

My experience with Music…

Hi ! My name is Sara, you probably won’t see which Sara I am but that is part of the mystery !

We are invited to present who our favorites artists are this week, so I will talk about the few that impacted my consumption of music through my life. Moreover, I will present what I observed in concerts. 

When I was a little girl, my dad loved to put music at full volume on our car so we could scream the lyrics of the songs. He made me listen to the artists that have impacted him. So, if you put a song of Jean Jacques Goldman, it is highly possible that I will be able to sing it. He also loved to put Linkin Park (so I am very happy of their return). At the same time, and from my childhood to very recently, he was part of a gospel choral. In fact, I was at all the rehearsals and now I adore this type of music. If you want, you can check out @leschantsdecoton on YouTube and I can assure you, you will be impressed by the perfect control of the singers’ notes and how it impacts the songs due to different sections.

Anyway, as a teenager, I was like all the others girls a big fan of Tal who was the first artist I saw on concert, but I also know all the songs of Adele, and some of Ed Sheeran’s, Imagine Dragons’… 

I describe myself as someone who love different type of music because I listen daily to classical music, rock, pop, k-pop but also rap… and I discover new artists very frequently !

Today, if I had to choose only one artist to present you, it would be YustonXIII. He does rap but what I love with his songs, is that you have a melody you can remember easily and which you can sing while you are listening to it. I went to his concert in Strasbourg in March and I did not know before that how much of a fan I was. It was amazing and I already am very nostalgic of it. 

I was scared of the people that was on the front row, it was like they were in front of their god and it was very strange to observe even if I knew this implicite fact. What I found amazing is the compassion between every person at these types of event. I went alone with the fear of crowds. However, people were lovely and very helpful. Some took me under their wings and, because they already went to his concert, they made me go in front of them so I could enjoy it more. It was an amazing experience I won’t forget. I went to another concert that was very similar (Alexander Stewart, American pop artist, Paris) and I have the impression that for small artists, in small concert hall, that people are very kind and comprehensive without any competition as we can see on TV with big artists like Taylor Swift or K-pop artists where people are pushing others to be on the front row. That is very pleasant.

I hope you had a great time reading to my first post and wish you a great week-end !

Sara